A Philadelphia man was sentenced for orchestrating a large-scale cargo theft conspiracy targeting interstate shipments of items including crab legs, televisions, and $230,000 worth of dimes.
Haneef Palmer, 33, was sentenced to 121 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and $1,080,786.44 in restitution, according to a September 10 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Palmer pleaded guilty in March 2026 to one count each of conspiracy, robbery interfering with interstate commerce (Hobbs Act robbery), possession of items from interstate shipment theft, theft of government money, and possession of stolen government money, and five counts of theft from an interstate shipment.
Officials said that between January 1, 2023, and July 31, 2023, Palmer conspired with others to $1.5 million in interstate shipments located on tractor trailers around Philadelphia.
Officials have identified more than ten victims of the cargo theft scheme.
Palmer and others targeted trucks while the driver was asleep, or when the truck was unattended, using bolt cutters and other tools to break into the trailer and steal the goods inside. The stolen items would then be sold to local contacts.
During the robbery of a shipment of commercial refrigerators on April 1, 2023, Palmer and others “attacked and injured the driver,” officials said.
Palmer also admitted to taking part in the theft of $230,000 worth of dimes from a tractor trailer on April 13, 2023.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Philadelphia Police Department.
